Aakarshi Kashyap, Kiran George win singles; Shikha Gautam-Ashwini Bhat triumph in BAI Series Badminton

Aakarshi Kashyap lived up to her top billing to stop the giant-killing run of qualifier Tanya Hemanth in the BAI Series Seniors Badminton tournament in Chennai on Wednesday.

The week-long event was organized by the Tamil Nadu Badminton Association under the auspices of the Badminton Association of India (BAI). It was the first national-level tournament by BAI for seniors since the pandemic.

Top seed Aakarshi thumped Tanya 21-15, 21-12 in the women’s singles final that lasted exactly 30 minutes at the FireBall Badminton Academy.

Aakarshi, India No 1 in the BAI rankings, proved her mettle with a quality display. Before the final, all eyes were on Tanya following her outstanding performance in the last few days, but she could not continue her magical run against the more experienced Aakarshi.

In the men’s singles final, fifth seed Kiran George halted the dream run of qualifier Subhankar Dey with a convincing 21-17, 21-12 win. The Kerala youngster needed 39 minutes to quell Subhankar's spirited challenge.

Interestingly, out of the five finals on the last day, four featured qualifiers. In another record, both pairs in the men’s doubles final were qualifiers.

Women's singles champion Aakarshi Kashyap in Chennai on Wednesday (Picture Courtesy: BAI)

Aakarshi Kashyap stops Tanya’s dream run

After missing out on a berth in the Indian team for the Sudirman Cup and Uber Cup, Aakarshi needed to re-establish herself. The 20-year-old did exactly that by capturing the women’s singles crown.

Chhattisgarh shuttler Aakarshi shattered Tanya’s hopes of claiming her maiden senior title with a brilliant all-round display.

Tanya, an 18-year-old from Bengaluru, fought well in the first game but could not stretch her senior counterpart as the match progressed.

Kiran George wins fourth All-India men's singles title

The way Subhankar Dey played in the entire tournament it looked like he would cause another upset in the final.

However, Kiran George had other ideas. Kiran, a senior Indian team member, defeated qualifier Subhankar 21-17, 21-12 to grab his fourth All-India Senior title.

Fifth seed Kiran George beat qualifier Subhankar Dey 21-17, 21-12 in the men's singles final (Image courtesy: BAI)

“I feel good to win the first All-India tournament that was conducted after almost two years of no domestic tournaments. I’m not satisfied with this win though. I have to work a lot harder and make a mark at the international level,” Kiran told Sportskeeda.

Shikha Gautam and Ashwini Bhat emerge women’s doubles champions

Reigning national champions Shikha Gautam and K Ashwini Bhat won the women’s doubles crown without much difficulty.

Top seeds Shikha and Ashwini outclassed qualifiers Shruti Mishra and Shailja Shukla 21-14, 21-16 in 35 minutes.

Karnataka duo Shikha and Ashwini controlled the match right from the beginning. After making the main draw through the qualifiers, Uttar Pradesh’s Shruti and Shailja toppled two seeded pairs to reach their maiden final.

Qualifiers Hariharan Amsakarunan-Ruban Kumar win men’s doubles

The men’s doubles final was contested between two qualifiers for the first time in Indian badminton history.

Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar of Tamil Nadu squeezed past Ravikrishna PS and Sankarprasad Udayakumar 22-20, 19-21, 21-18 to create history. The hour-long battle was fiercely fought and kept the spectators entertained.

For the first time Tamil Nadu’s Hariharan and Ruban entered the final in any age category. They made the most of it by bagging the title, much to the jubilation of the home supporters.

Rohan Kapoor and Sanjana Santosh got the better of Sunjith S and TR Gowrikrishna of Kerala 21-18, 21-16 in 40 minutes to pocket the mixed doubles title.

Results (Finals)

Mixed doubles

Rohan Kapoor-Sanjana Santosh bt Sunjith S-Gowrikrishna TR 21-18, 21-16 (40 minutes)

Women’s singles

1-Aakarshi Kashyap bt Tanya Hemanth 21-15, 21-12 (30 minutes)

Men’s singles

5-Kiran George bt Subhankar Dey 21-17, 21-12 (39 minutes)

Women’s doubles

1-Shikha Gautam-Ashwini Bhat K bt Shruti Mishra-Shailja Shukla 21-14, 21-16 (35 minutes)

Men’s doubles

Hariharan Amsakarunan-Ruban Kumar R bt Ravikrishna PS-Sankarprasad Udayakumar 22-20, 19-21, 21-18 (60 minutes).